📊 MySQL General Log Viewer (Desktop App)

A simple, responsive Python desktop application built with PyQt5 that allows you to query and visualize recent MySQL general_log entries with search, formatting, and highlighting features.

This tool is inspired by the need for understanding a complex backend systems. If the system is too complex, learning and understnding it from the database level is a good start. This tool helps you to do that.

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🚀 Features

• ✅ View recent SQL statements from the MySQL general_log table
• ✅ Automatically detects local IP and current system user for config defaults
• ✅ Search through results with Next and Previous buttons
• ✅ Responsive UI with scrollable inputs and highlighted SQL
• ✅ Smart defaults (e.g. event time defaults to 10 minutes ago)
• ✅ Saves config (like username/host/time) across runs
• ✅ Syntax highlighting for SQL using Pygments and sqlparse
• ✅ Handles large SQL logs with truncation and graceful fallbacks

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🧰 Requirements

1. Python 3.6+
2. MySQL (with general_log enabled)
3. PyQt5
4. mysql-connector-python
5. sqlparse
6. pygments

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⚙️ Setup

1. Make sure your MySQL server has general_log enabled:

   SET GLOBAL general_log = 'ON';
   SET GLOBAL log_output = 'TABLE'; -- Ensure logs go to mysql.general_log
   

2. Run the app

   python3 mysql_log_viewer.py
   

3. The app will attempt to use:
   1. Your current system username
   2. Your machine’s IP as the default MySQL host
   3. Event time defaults to 10 minutes ago

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🔎 Search Feature

Use the search bar to search within the displayed SQL logs:

1. Next → Find next occurrence
2. Previous → Find previous one

It wraps around when you reach the end or beginning of the text.

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📁 File Structure

.
├── config.json           # Stores your last used settings
├── back_trace.py         # Main PyQt5 application
├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
└── README.md             # You're reading this

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🧠 Known Limitations

Designed primarily for desktop usage on Mac/Linux (Windows not fully tested).
Assumes MySQL general logs are stored in the mysql.general_log table.
Limited error handling for incorrect credentials or log access permissions.

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💡 Ideas for Future

Export logs to .txt or .html
Pagination for large result sets
Advanced filtering (by command type, duration, etc.)
Dark mode 🌙

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🛠️ How to install it(Test only on mac)

python setup.py py2app

hdiutil create -volname "MySQL Log Viewer" \
                -srcfolder dist/ \
                -ov -format UDZO \
                MySQL_Log_Viewer.dmg
# Move the .dmg file to your Applications folder

🧑‍💻 Author

Built by a backend engineer passionate about database internals and tooling ✨ Feel free to contribute or open issues!